


Tales of Twins: Childhood Arc - Part 1

by kohaku_shi



Series: Tales of (a Certain Pair of) Monkey Twins [2]
Category: One Piece
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Pre-Canon, Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Gen, I call it:, Luffy has a twin, Mostly Gen, Otherwise known as the LalLu Twin-Verse, Reincarnation, Self-Indulgent, Self-Insert, Slow Build, Transmigration, known as Lallie or Lal for short, not to be mistaken as the pairing, or the SI-OC Twin AU, sort of based on Oda's official genderbend, the Monkey Twins AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-08-23 11:29:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20242138
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kohaku_shi/pseuds/kohaku_shi
Summary: Part of the 'Tales of Twins' or 'Monkey Twins' AU. A series of (not necessarily linear) Snapshots and Journal Entries about the twins' lives, mostly prior to the age of six (aka: the appearance of a certain Canon Character).





	1. ??? (The First Snapshot)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Decided to make things a little easier for myself. "Dawn of a New Romance" is now considered Pilot for this series. Especially as there are certain diverging paths that I'm still considering writing.
> 
> Also, mainly for the sake of posting certain omake's as separate -not necessarily interrelated- stories.
> 
> It's also been quite a while, so I thought I should at least try to do a better job of beta-ing my own works... In any case, here's the first official snapshot. A little short, but it's really more of a prologue, anyway.
> 
> Expect more updates and posts for this series on the way. 
> 
> Soon.

* * *

** _...Somewhere in the New World..._ **

Dragon watched as the familiar ship set sail, carrying away the two infants that carried his blood within them. 

Twins at that. 

Such a rare occurrence as it was, the revolutionary couldn’t help but to think that it meant something. But what? Well, only time would tell. 

Ignoring the twinge that told of the telltale pain of loss that tore at his chest, Monkey D. Dragon raised a single arm to grip at the cloak that billowed around him. Lips pressed into a thin line, the man had to resist the urge to wave and shout and perhaps even cry after the fast disappearing form on the horizon.

No, he reminded himself firmly that he had no more time to be reminiscing over times lost, as the ship carrying his estranged father and the two tiny and precious lives continued to sail into the distance. 

Cloak billowing dramatically, he turned away from the cliffside, walking back towards the boat he'd docked and hidden on the other side of the otherwise inconspicuously island. 

It was time.

Time to get back to their newly renovated base...

And to his life as a Revolutionary and one of the world's soon-to-be most wanted men.

Still, even as his figure maintained its stoic air, the wind continued to dance and weave as it pleased, carrying a quiet, whispered wish -a plea, almost- over the ocean. 

Its billowing breeze carrying a small, pure, and honest wish, and a father's blessing.

_ “Be safe, my children… and grow  _ free _ …”  _

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Summary: "A new father makes a rather difficult choice, watching as one of the most precious things in his world are carried farther and farther away at his own behest. Whether he comes to regret this decision... well, that is yet to be seen..."
> 
> aka: "A Father's Love"
> 
> Really wish they'd give the option to move the chapter summary to the bottom, since spoilers! End notes will have to do for now, though.
> 
> _I solemnly swear that I do not own One Piece or its Franchise. All -or most- of that belongs to Oda Eiichiro._


	2. Age Four: First Snapshot/Entry

* * *

Loud laughter filtered into the house as a single rambunctious child ran about the home, clearly high on either adrenaline or sugar as he imitated various noises he’d heard in the course of his short life. This boy was Monkey D. Luffy, the young and future Pirate with dreams of being the free-est person the world would ever see…

The _Pirate King_.

At the moment, however, he was simply a four year old child, living his life day to day as so many did. 

As he ran down the hall of their three-bedroom home, however, another small head poked itself out from the single room that they shared.

Or, well, that he mostly slept in, unlike his twin and unofficial guardian.

“Luffy…! What have I said about running in the house…?”

A nearly identical head, slightly more effeminate and neater in appearance to the laughing boy, different if mainly in demeanor as she sported a serious look with a small frown. Half-way down the hall already, Luffy half-skid to a stop before her, still grinning if a little more sheepishly this time.

"Eh...shishishi...not to?" he offered, grin turning apologetic but no less cheery as he rocked onto his heels, hands clasped behind his back as he gave his female reflection the most innocent look he could, eyes wide.

The girl clearly knew the boy better than that, however, and gave him a look despite the sigh she gave that indicated forgiveness despite herself. “That’s right. What would we do if you broke something?” she pointed out, glancing at a vase that was probably one of the few remaining ‘fragile’ and ‘feminine touches’ (that had probably done by their grandmother before her death, if the girl had any guesses). “Grandpa would get mad, wouldn’t he?”

Gasping at the thought, this time the boy’s eyes widened, almost trembling in fear.

“_Angry Grandpa is Scary…_” he all but breathed the words, the whisper still loud enough to carry, as he paled, shoulders slumping.

“Exactly, so don’t run around the house, okay? I know you’re bored, but it’s just for a little bit longer, right…?” she promised, “It’s not like I can stop Grandpa from getting mad, after all…”

Shoulders slumping as he nodded, Luffy voiced his agreement. “Yeah… Sorry, Lallie…” Even if she didn’t say so, he could still tell that his running and noise-making had probably bothered her anyway. Because no matter what she did and didn’t say, Luffy could still _feel _it. Just like he could feel the moment she’d forgiven him, and just like she’d been able to feel the remorse in his words.

They were twins, after all, and twins shared a bond beyond all others, one that couldn’t be changed… Even if Lal was apparently actually ‘older’ because of various reasons he still couldn’t really understand, but Lallie had never lied to him, so he believed her.

Even if the idea of rebirth and re-in-car-nay-shin was weird and confusing.

Another sigh, this time accompanied by a wave of _forgiveness-exasperation-love-amusement _and a hand on his head. Peeking up through his bangs, he saw that his twin was smiling and beamed back, radiating his own feelings of _joy-love-happiness _as the prior depression laced remorse practically disappeared.

Ruffling his hair despite his protests, she started speaking again. “It’s okay, I know you’re bored… but I promise it won’t take too much longer, okay? So why don’t you go run around and play outside?” she asked, an almost maternal look that shouldn’t have suited such a small child on her face. “I’ll let you know when I’m done, and then we can have lunch, and I can tell you another story after, how about it?”

As _joy-excitement-promise? _practically radiated from the person as well as the connection they shared between them, she figured she really needn’t have asked, as the already bright look on her twin’s face turned brilliant.

“Alright!” shouting his excitement to what seemed to be the whole world, the four year old cheered. Clearly her attempts at bribery had worked, possibly too well, as starry eyes shone at her (how he managed to do that, Lal would never know, twin or not). “We can have meat right?” he all but pleaded, knowing that there was still some in the fridge, since Lal had forbidden him from having it for breakfast for this very reason. Even going so far as to make him _promise _and a real man never broke a promise! So she had to keep her promise too, right?! “And a story! Will it be a _magic _story again? Or the mystery one?!”

Chuckling (though it was really more of a giggle at this stage) at the silliness of her brother and his antics as he started babbling, and gesticulating wildly about his preferences, Lallie spoke up again, sending _calm-amusement-shhhh _down their connection (which had been weird at first, seeing as she had never been a _twin _before, even if she’d been a _sister _) to not only quiet him down, but to catch his attention, as well. “Why don’t I let you choose once lunch is over? And yes, we’ll have the meat for lunch,” she promised, almost fascinated as she watched her brother mellow down a bit, even if he still practically vibrated with excitement, if the stars that were still in his eyes were any indication. “So why don’t you go out and play? And if you manage to find and bring back any meat, we can have that for dinner, too.”

“Alright! Meat! Story! Meat!” Throwing his hands up into the air in excitement, the boy started running off, before pausing as a wave of_admonishment-a _hem _-amusement _ran down their bond. Turning and smiling sheepishly at his sister, he waved and called out an apology before -with clear effort- making his way out of the house at a much slower pace…

As she watched her brother, Monkey D. Lallie, once known by another name in another world, couldn’t help but to feel some amusement and fondness (which she allowed to radiate through their bond along with forgiveness and the usual exasperation and indulgence, even if it still felt a little weird that said connection existed at times). Honestly, that child…

Sighing, as she turned back into the room the twins shared (one room having been reserved for Garp whenever he returned, and a guest room that may or may not have, at some point, been the room their _father _had once slept in), she walked back towards the writing desk that had been pushed against the wall of other side of the room, passing her own neatly made bed, and detouring a bit to fix another wrinkle in her brother’s bedsheets on the other side of the room. It was the only side that really had anything pinned onto the walls.

To any other person, the room might have been rather sparse, especially considering the fact that two children lived in it, but it wasn’t like either of them really needed all that much. Garp had been the one to pin the Marine flag on the wall anyway, and Luffy spent more time outside of their room than in it.

Still, it was theirs, and Lal, at least, used it for something other than simple sleep and clothes storage. Even if only for the privacy to write, if nothing else. It was just fact that if Luffy was forced to stay still for too long, he would end up complaining and making things worse until no one got anything done, especially with the naturally short attention span he held (much like their Grandfather, in fact). Which probably explained why Lal was typically the one to take care of the ‘dangerous’ chores, like cooking, or the more boring ones (though she did try to get Luffy to at least help now and then in an effort not to spoil him too much) like sweeping or cleaning.

As it was, the time she’d reserved before lunch (usually prepared quickly enough, despite Luffy’s voracious appetite, even at this age), was usually free time for the both of them, where Lal could write without (much) interruption, and Luffy could… Well, run around and play, as he waited for lunchtime to come. After which would be a story and then nap time, once Luffy exhausted enough energy to stay still for a while.

Lal, being the more mature of the two, had already prepped most of the things she’d need to make lunch around the time it had been breakfast (hence why she’d had to warn her brother off the ingredients for it), meaning that for the moment, for this hour nearly every day, she could be left alone to _write _. To keep record and to make record of all the things she could remember. (The only other time being about a half-hour before their decided ‘bedtime’, and before Lal or Makino-san, or whoever was around, got Luffy to settle down by inciting ‘story time’.) Though she hadn’t been doing so for very long, the time spent each day simply sitting at her desk and writing (because, let's face it, Luffy wasn’t about to start writing or reading a lot if he could help it, not when he could actually go out and have _adventures _), had filled several journals already, once she got used to writing again rather than the far faster method of typing…

Sitting in front of the most recent journal now, Lal stared at the cover, pen in hand as she remembered what had started the decision to do such a thing to begin with. Though she didn’t often read through what she’d read aside from ensuring there were no grammatical or written errors, that didn’t mean she didn’t sometimes reread things. The more important things (for the moment) were usually remembered well enough, but she always spent some time thinking about it.

About her past, the present, and even the possible future that could come about, from the moment she’d realized exactly what had happened (if she still didn’t the hows and whys).

Sighing, and taking a deep breath to get herself going again, she her attention back to one of the three different journal types she’d started to keep. Turning to the most recent page, she skimmed the words written before lifting the pen to write once more...

— ☙ ◆ ❧ —

_Xth Date of X Month, (approx.) 8 Years Post GPA (Great Pirate Age)._

_Entry #XX_

_The weather is pretty sunny so far, I assume it’ll keep up as such. The temperature is warm, but not too hot. And Luffy is being very much himself, running about and shouting now and then. Probably finding this and that new thing, if the excitement running through our bond is any indication._

_Honestly, I still don’t understand it, or this situation, but there’s not much I can do but make the best of it. Even if the only one I can currently trust to tell is above-mentioned twin. He’s terrible at keeping secrets, so I suppose it’s only natural I turn to writing journals… or keeping a diary, as the case may be. It’s not like I can tell anyone else, after all, and who would believe it?_

_That I have a head full of memories (which I assume are my own, seeing as they’re from _my _POV) that don’t belong to ‘Monkey D. Lallie’ but to what I assume is a prior incarnation of myself? It’s not as if I can explain the hows or whys, after all. As it is, I’ve already resigned myself to just accepting things as they are, even if the truth of the matter is so unbelievable a thing, even to me._

_To think that I would suddenly find myself ‘reincarnated’ into the world of One Piece, a manga written by Oda Eiichiro-sensei in the other world that I remember._

_If anyone were to hear such a thing, I’d probably be considered crazy. Or would it simply be considered something strange that only a D. could come up with? I wonder… I still don’t know what the D. in the Will of D. stands for, but it’s not like I can find out so easily._

_All I have now is theory and conjecture that I can’t even share with anyone._

_Not even Luffy._

_But… There’s that too, isn’t there? Rebirth into what should have been a fictional world is one thing, but being born the twin of the future ‘main character’? Honestly, it’s rather unbelievable that such a thing could happen, but it has, and my only theory is that parallel worlds really do exist, or else _ _something _ _’s happened to the world I once knew to become this one. (Void Century, maybe?)_

_As it is, it’s been a trial and a half simply getting to a point where bodily functions are all controllable, and I would rather not think much more on it. Aside from the fact that, somehow, I’ve come to accept things as they are._

_…_

_But that doesn’t help when it comes to the future, does it…? What exactly can I do to ensure that Luffy can stay the happy-go-lucky person that he is? It… It scares me, sometimes._

_Because I already know that it’s too late for me to detach myself._

_Because I already know that I’m attached to these people... -these supposedly fictional characters that are, all of a sudden, all _ _real _ _people._

_From Garp, to Makino, to every other person I’ve met or have yet to meet (Ace, Dragon, Sabo, Law, and Luffy’s own future crew). People that I can no longer view objectively as simply ‘characters’ or ‘ideas’, because, all of a sudden, they’re so, __so_ _real…_

_Garp, or rather, Grandpa, or Jii-chan._

_Makino, or Makino-san… sometimes Makino-nee-chan or Maki-nee._

_Mayor Woop Slap, who’s like an uncle to us. Who was (probably) meant to be more for comedic value, but who clearly, truly, cares about _ _us _ _and takes things so seriously _ _because _ _he cares._

_Even Bogard-san, a previously mysterious and supposedly minor character who only ever appears beside Garp. Bogard-san, who is often overshadowed, who helped practically raise us, and kept Jii-chan from going overboard or causing some accident with two infants just because he didn’t really know better._

_(I’m still amazed that Dad turned out so ‘well’. You really would think he’d know better considering he raised our father...though I guess it explains a lot about how our father got to be the way he is… I can only hope that Ace is faring better with Dadan if things followed the ‘canon’ story-line up to __our __birth, at least. Operating with the fact that it might very well __not_ _be, but I kind of both hope and don’t hope it will.)_

_Maki-nee comes by often enough, and tends to worry a lot. Though, I would too, I suppose, if I knew that two small children, not even five yet, and technically having only _recently _turned four, were living in a house all by themselves…_

_Well, I would if I didn’t know that one of them had twenty plus years or so of memories inside their head. But I think she’d still worry about us even if she knew… I guess that’s what makes her so special, though, even if it’s only to us._

_She’s always so patient and kind… I really can’t help admiring her, y’know?_

_Still, being stuck in a child’s body (let alone an infant’s, prior to that) is really weird. Sometimes I’ll still reach for something, thinking my limbs are a lot longer, if I’m thinking about the ‘past’ too much… But the weirdest thing is probably still the connection between me and Luffy, one that shouldn’t exist, but still does._

_The fact that I’m a __twin_ _and not just a regular sibling or person is weird enough, sometimes. Especially since birth mortality rates are a lot higher here, as far as I can tell. Twins are especially rare._

_I think the only ones I remember are…_

_I don’t remember their names, actually. But those twins in… was it a filler arc? Those magnet fruit twins…_

_(Which is pretty weird, too, but I guess if the fruit were magnetic or attracted to each other or something, and they found it…? Those weird bounty hunters… they were a family, weren’t they…? I can’t remember all the details right now…)_

_Well, whatever. So far, though, things seem to going about as well as I can remember from Luffy’s past prior to meeting Shanks or the boys. Grandpa does take Luffy out to train sometimes, I don’t know why he doesn’t take me too, but I guess I’m grateful for it. Maybe it’s because I expressed a more pacifist view unlike Luffy’s, or didn’t say that I wanted to be a pirate (I really, really wish Luffy would think things through a little more before announcing these things, especially to grandpa). That doesn’t mean I don’t worry, of course, but against an opponent that won’t listen (or at least, not very often) to logic, it’s really hard to argue a point._

_Though thankfully, I managed to get him to tone down the violence around the house…_

_That… might have been due to me bursting out in tears that one time, though. Embarrassing, but it worked, even if I didn’t mean to end up doing it… Grandpa and Luffy are both really bad at dealing with crying girls. I think it’s probably because Grandpa’s on the more chivalrous side towards girls, or maybe Tsuru-baa-chan (I’d feel weird just calling her Tsuru or Granny, after all, since we… I don’t think we’ve met her, or at least don’t remember it) has something to do with it? I don’t know, but I think I ended up being calmed down by Bogard-san in the end. (Being a kid with kid-feelings and emotional reactions is a bit troubling sometimes, but…)_

_Honestly, I’m… not quite sure where Bogard-san fits in our little misfit family. He’s definitely the one to keep Grandpa out of trouble most of the time, and he’s always really nice, if resigned to certain things (both Luffy and Grandpa are super stubborn after all, and so similar in an almost ironic manner considering one wants to be a Pirate, and the other’s a Marine Hero). He’s not really a big brother, but he’s not really old enough to be our Uncle, either..._

_I guess it’s okay, though, since he seems fine being just ‘Bogard-san’. (Then again, I’m not sure any sane person would want to be considered ‘related’ to Jii-chan, especially not when over half of the family seems to be clinically crazy….I’m...still not sure if I count towards that, but since I guess it’s more of a ‘functional’ sort of strangeness, and weird quirk…? I don’t know.)_

_All I really know is that I care about all of them, and probably love them all, too. It’s hard not to, when everyone’s usually so nice and caring for the most part._

_…_

_I still can’t help worrying about the future, though… I just hope my existence here doesn’t make things ‘worse’ if canon is still followed. I know I shouldn’t rely on such iffy information, but… Well, I think… unless proven otherwise…_

_I don’t know, it’s just… so hard not to believe these things will happen. I can already see the future Luffy in mine, and I…_

_Maybe it’s selfish. Maybe I just care too much, but…_

_I really, really don’t want them to get hurt. I don’t want the people I care about to feel even a fraction of such despair…_

_But what can I even do about it…?_

_What can a single girl, possibly crazy and/or armed with potential future knowledge do? Even if things happened similarly enough for me to stop this or that situation, there’s still butterfly effect to think about. What if I mess up?_

_…_

_What if I make things _worse _?_

_… Ugh, and now I’m crying. I really hope I don’t stay like this forever. Sympathetic crying is one thing… but if this is how it’s like for Luffy, it’s no wonder he got touted as such a crybaby...in the future?_

_Eck. No, I can’t think about these sort of things. Especially not with the connection between me and Luffy… At least, not until I learn to block certain things out, from my side at least._

_I can already feel the surge of worry and an attempt at (probably) comfort from _Luffy _, from my __little brother_ _of all people. I can’t think about failure or all those negative things that might end up hurting Luffy. __Especially_ _not Luffy._

_I’ve been an older sibling before. For most of my life, I remember, I was the eldest. I wasn’t the best sister, and probably not the best sibling (or daughter), but I did try…_

_Just like I can only try my best now._

_I can already hear Luffy coming back towards the house, even with the reassurance I tried sending back towards him to let him know I’m okay. He’s such a sweet child, and even if he doesn’t realize his faults sometimes, that’s okay. Because he’s still young, and he’s still growing._

_And I won’t let anyone hurt or warp him into the him that he was when Ace died (dies? Might’ve died?) at Marineford._

_I won’t let it happen…_

** _I won’t let him feel that kind of hurt EVER _ _if I can help it._ **

_… I better stop writing now, maybe prepare lunch so I can distract him from worrying too much. I don’t ever want him, or anyone else I care about hurt, especially not like…_

_Like _ _that_ _…_

_And I’ll do everything I can to prevent that._

_I swear it…_

Monkey D. Lallie

_Formerly, A Girl from Another World..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Summary: "The First Snapshot: At Age Four, Lal can be considered more mature than most. But she's still just a child, and all she can really do is plan...and write. Even with the occasional adult assistance and oversight, it's still left up to Lal to take care of both herself and her brother."
> 
> aka: "A Sibling's Love and a Reincarnator's Worries"
> 
> Standard Disclaimer: _I solemnly swear that I do not own One Piece or its Franchise. All -or most- of that belongs to Oda Eiichiro._


	3. Age Four: Second Snapshot/No Entry

* * *

Luffy had been outside, playing Pretend Adventures as usual, when he’d felt the surge of _ sad-worried-upset _ that had crashed through his side of the 'magical' twinsense or ‘bond’ that he shared with his sister. Pausing as he lowered the branch in his hand that he’d been using as a walking stick (as well as a poking stick), little Luffy frowned.

He may only have been four and not quite as ‘smart’ as his sister, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t think for himself.

Lal had always been patient and tried to let him figure things out himself, even if it made her kind of frustrated sometimes. So when he’d felt the surge of depression and melancholy that had disappeared just as quickly as he’d tried to push the feeling of _ worried-question-reassurance _ that he wanted to share (he still wasn’t really sure how it all worked, but he figured if he thought about it hard enough she’d get it), face screwed up in concentration as he tried to pass as much warm feelings and a sort of _ smile please! _ through the bond.

When he got _ warm-happy-glad _ feelings back, he smiled, only to frown a bit at the tinge of sad and _ sorry-don’t worry _ that accompanied it, almost buried under the warmer feelings. Huffing at the fact that his sibling was so stubborn (ironic considering that he was just as, if not more stubborn), he looked around. Maybe he could give Lal something to make her happy?

Girls liked pretty things, right? Looking around, he tried not to let his excitement escape as he spotted a shiny rock (shiny things were pretty, right?) that he had found earlier. Picking it up and tossed his ‘adventure’ stick behind him without a thought, he ran back towards the house grinning and giggling as he wiped the smooth shiny rock against his pants.

He couldn’t wait to show Lal! She’d definitely be happy when he gave her her present, right? As he thought about it, it was almost like he was a treasure hunter bringing back an old magic-y thing! Yeah! Maybe he could be a pilot or something like one of the ones in some of stories Lal had told him!

Forgetting, for a moment, the reason for his dash into the house, Luffy still kept a hold of the shiny rock he’d planned to give Lallie.

Of course, he’d forget just as quickly when Lal reminded him why they weren’t supposed to be running about the house. But when he _ did _ remember later, finding it in one of his shorts pockets later on in the day, it would be with a proud grin that he would present it to his sister, who would smile and send that feeling of _ warm-love-safe-grateful-thank you-love it _ that made him beam in return as she admired the pseudo-iridescent colors that shined on it in the afternoon sun.

And as they settled in for story time once again, Luffy couldn’t help but to think that he didn’t want to change the feelings of _ warm-love-safe-happy _ that spilled through both side of the bond he shared with his sister.

He just couldn’t imagine things any other way.

A feeling that wouldn’t really change as the two grew and changed and became their own people, even years down the line.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter Summary: "The Second Snapshot: At Age Four, Luffy might not be the smartest or brightest of kids, but that doesn't stop him from loving his family any less. Lal does a lot to take care of them, but they're both only kids...and sometimes, it takes a little reminder from her twin to remember that."
> 
> aka: "A Sibling's Love and a Brother's Concern"
> 
> Standard Disclaimer: _I solemnly swear that I do not own One Piece or its Franchise. All -or most- of that belongs to Oda Eiichiro._


End file.
